This Old Thing: Cream and sugar set came from Germany

Cream and sugar

Fire extinguisher

Q. I inherited this cream and sugar from my grandmother. As a child, the faces fascinated me and when I visited her, I would go to the china cabinet to look at them.

The set is pink with some green and orange accenting and a little gold detailing. The “lady” sugar bowl is double-sided with both sides having the same face. The pieces have numbers but no other markings. The creamer is nine centimetres high (3.5 inches). I was told that originally they were in my great-grandmother’s home. I’d love to know more.

— Tammy, Kitchener

A. Your comical cream and sugar were made by the Schafer & Vater Porcelain Factory, around 1900. The company founded, in Thuringa, Germany, in 1890 lasted until 1962.

Schafer & Vater made dolls and figurines including caricatures of political figures, but they are best known for producing unique tablewares in German “jasper,” a bisquelike material with a matte finish. In 1910, the American merchants Sears Roebuck & Co. started to import items from Schafer & Vater. Often these pieces were not marked or they had a faint, impressed mark — a crown above a nine-pointed star containing an upper case “R.”

Sets like yours are not common and there are collectors of this sort of figural items. Today, the market for Schafer & Vater jasper is quite soft, but still your charming pair should fetch $175.

Q. My sister’s husband gave her this bronze copy of a Marly lamp around 1930. It has a horse, a man and a beaded flower shade. It is 36 cm high (14 inches) from the onyx base. The original light bulb is encased in a series of blossoms made of peach-coloured glass with a bright blue bead centre. The flowers appear to be threaded on fine wire. A metal folding clasp keeps the bonnet in place and it can be opened to change the light bulb. Some of the leaves on the stem are tinted and others are natural bronze.

At the back of the horse’s hooves, there is a coin stamped “Made in France, Paris, Fabricated in France.” Does this lamp have any special history and any value today?

— Patricia, Windsor

A. Your figurative lamp has a rich history. It is an early 20th-century copy of an equestrian statue commissioned by Louis XV of France for the horse wading pool at Chateau de Marly du Roi, the royal hunting lodge. In 1739, Nicolas Cousteau started sculpting a pair of life-sized marble statues, known as The Horse Tamers or Chevaux de Marly. When Cousteau became ill, this commission was completed by his younger brother Guillaume.

Today, these fine sculptures reside in the Louvre in Paris. Your horse and trainer are average in detail and likely made of spelter (a lightweight white, soft metal) instead of high quality bronze. The floral lamp at the top, is typical of the pretty glass mass-produced by Czechoslovakian firms in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Still, this classic storied lamp has a value of $250.

Q. We found this old fire extinguisher, with its wall mount, in the cellar of my parents’ 100-year-old house in Lucknow, Ont. It’s 18 cm high (seven inches). We believe it was to throw on a fire to extinguish the flames and it might have some kind of chemical inside. Would you let me know if it’s an antique and its value?

— Janet, Kitchener

A. These fire grenades were made between 1860 and 1900. The liquid could be a salt water (brine) concoction which was advertised as non-freezing. But most contained carbon tetrachloride, a very effective liquid that vaporized, on impact, and neutralized combustion in the fire.

Unfortunately, the gas that forms upon breaking the sealed grenade is an extremely dangerous and toxic substance that can be absorbed by the lungs and skin. These grenades are certainly collectible. Some rare brands with desirable labels, intact, can bring in a few thousand dollars. I advise making sure your example is not harbouring any dangerous material hazard.

As is, with the holder, this grenade is worth about $75.

John Sewell is an antiques and fine art appraiser. To submit an item to this column, go to the Contact John page at www.johnsewellantiques.ca. Please measure your piece, say when and how you got it, what you paid and list any identifying marks. A high resolution jpeg must also be included. (Only email submissions accepted.) Appraisal values are estimates only.